Sunday Readings : Luke 10. 1-11, 16-20; Psalm 66. 1-8; Isaiah 66. 10-14
Sermon preached on: – Third Sunday after Trinity 07.07.19
Prayer:-
When we think of Jesus’ followers we think of the twelve apostles, but there were more.
The passage read to us from the Gospel of Luke speaks of the seventy whom Jesus sent out. This was a kind of “internship,” a training time while Jesus was still with them. The mission was the same as Jesus’ own ministry: “cure the sick” and “say to them, ‘the kingdom of God has come near to you.’”
About the number of the disciples seventy- or seventy two- because many very old and reliable Greek manuscripts have ‘seventy two, while many other old and reliable manuscripts have ‘seventy’. Whether the number is “seventy” or “seventy-two” is grounded in textual variants that go back to the Greek text of the Old Testament.
Why seventy? Some think it was because Moses had appointed seventy elders
to help him. Others think the reference was associated with the seventy Gentile
nations at that time. I agree with the latter reference. Luke is the gospel
written for the Gentiles; those who first read Luke’s gospel were not those
with Jewish roots. Instead they were Gentile readers; Luke’s gospel highlights Jesus’ ministry to those deemed unacceptable to the Jewish establishment. In Luke, we find more stories of Jesus with poor women, lepers, tax collectors, and others considered outside the realm of acceptability.
In any case, the number probably represents all the nations in the world which are given in the book of Genesis 10. Thus the commissioning of the seventy anticipates the church’s mission to the nations (cf. Luke 24:47). These seventy- A number that stands for wholeness and completion.
These seventy—we are not given their names. They are not prominent, like Peter or John or James. They are quiet, unassertive, ordinary folks. These seventy represent everybody.
What do you think they feel like, sent out in pairs to unfamiliar places, entering uninvited with a bold message to proclaim?
The commissioning of the seventy shows that proclamation is the responsibility of all disciples—not just a select few. This disappoints both those who think of themselves as the select few and those who prefer not to get involved.
Second, the seventy are to go in pairs to neighbouring towns in an aggressive outreach program of a type with which many Christians no longer feel comfortable.
Third, the harvest-metaphor (vs. 2) suggests an urgency regarding evangelism that many Christians no longer feel. For a farmer, harvest-time is the most urgent season of the year. Modern equivalents include tax season for the accountant; Christmas season for the merchant; final exams for students and teachers; deployment for soldiers; and deadlines for the journalist. Most of us can survive failure on an ordinary day, but failure in these “harvest seasons” is likely to be disastrous—starvation, bankruptcy, or the end of a career. Today, many people have trouble believing that failure to accept Christ can have similarly disastrous consequences.
“The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are few” (v. 2a). In a world where only a few people engage in agriculture, we have forgotten the urgency of harvest-time. Most crops can be harvested neither early nor late without serious loss. The farmer works a year to prepare for the harvest, which must be accomplished when the crop is ready. Failure to do so is likely to be catastrophic.
When Jesus sends out the seventy disciples to preach and to prepare the way for him, he says that they will go out “like lambs into the midst of wolves”.
Jesus tells the 70 not to take with them certain things they may think they need. The role of those being sent was not to protect what they had, but instead to give it away. No thought for tomorrow. They were to travel light: no purse, bag, or sandals. Just imagine, travelling without these things.
If we are honest with ourselves, that makes us uncomfortable; this commission is a reminder that following Jesus is not always easy. But again, that depends upon our focus.
When we focus on how uncomfortable we get around people who are different from us, especially those who are hostile toward us, yes, it’s not always easy.
When we are outside our comfort zone without the amenities which we enjoy, it’s not always easy.
When we get so attached to our routine that it becomes what brings us comfort rather than the Good Shepherd who wants to protect the sheep, it’s not always easy.
When our vision is on the differences rather than the One who has made a difference in us, it’s not always easy.
When we insist upon getting what we want, having what is familiar to us, what we like, rather than succumbing to what God wants, then yes, it’s not always easy. Being a Christian is not always easy, but that is because we confuse our focus.
On the other hand, when we realize when we said yes to Jesus, we
said that we would follow him, then it becomes easier. When doing his will
becomes our desire, it becomes easier.
Sometimes we become so conditioned to achieve success that we lost sight of what is considered success in the Kingdom of God.
Our job is to do what God wants us to do; that is success. Our role is to tell others about Jesus; that is success. What we do and say is about him and from him.
When the seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!
Jesus gently reminds them that these powerful actions should not become a source of pride. He excludes any “self-congratulation” by “reminding them that God is the source of all insight and confidence”. Both of our Old Testament readings speak about the authority, sovereignty and glory of the lord. The psalmist says, “All the earth shall worship you, O Lord”. Everything about the final chapter- 66 of Isaiah heralds God’s sovereignty.
We are not to rejoice about our success in our various ministries, but to rejoice “that your names are written in heaven,” that is, that we are part of this kingdom of God which we are proclaiming.
Jesus said to them in verse -16 of today’s Gospel ‘Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.’
“The harvest is plentiful” is as true today as it was in Jesus’ time.
In conclusion of my sermon I would like to quote St. Teresa of Avila’s well-known saying, reminding us that now we carry on the ministry that Jesus gave us:
“Christ
has no body on earth but yours; no hands but yours; no feet but
yours.
Yours are the eyes through which the compassion of Christ
looks out to the world.
Yours are the feet with which he is to go
about doing good.
Yours are the hands with which he is to bless
others now.”
In the name of God, who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen